Thanks Tony, I always wanted to write an Encyclopedia.I'll begin by saying I own a genuine made in Painted Post Ingersole Rand Refrig dryer. I use it about once every 4 years during absolutely tropical humidity conditions. It's a last resort device, and there are so very many more cost effective ways to minimize water content in an air stream. The device Tony is referencing is the Franzinator (multiple spellings exist) originally named by my bud RockyD over on the original Hobart Welding Forum. I didn't invent it, I merely took an existing device and improved on it through 6 generations.Rather than wear out the set of brass fingertips I have on,
http://z6.invisionfree.com/ToolBoxTalk/index.php?showtopic=1461And if you want the version for people who do not feel they can pressure vessel weld safely,
http://z6.invisionfree.com/ToolBoxTalk/index.php?showtopic=1575 Last year I got lucky and a pressure weldor with access to an infrared camera built a Franzinator and shot pics proving the temperatures of the column in operation on a small machine.
http://z6.invisionfree.com/ToolBoxTalk/index.php?showtopic=3630 It works, and it generally removes 75% of the moisture from the compressed air stream between compressor and receiver.If you live in a swamp or on either coast, you may need to move up to the Mark III or even Mark 6 water cooled version.If you're running over 5hp of compressor you'll need more than 1 column. Water in compressed air isn't a simple one size fits all problem, even with Franzinators in the system.I've come to the point of considering the first step to be outside air intake to the machine which provides a cleaner air stream, longer machine life, no hydrocarbon residue, and ease of compressor noise suppression. Air at ground level is filthy and wet. Air 13 feet above ground is considerably cleaner, hydrocarbon free, and generally lower in humidity. Serious consideration needs to be given to intake line diameter in doing this though given the shockwaves developed by reciprocating compressors. The third consideration is getting rid of the accumulated slop in the receiver. The wonderful bottom drain boss on 90% of receivers is a pool creator inside the receiver. Most tank manufacturers pierce the boss into the vessel rather than drill the hole and weld the boss onto the outside surface. That problem is easily solved by replacing one of the plugs in the receiver with a bushing and installing a soda straw to the bottom of the vessel to remove the water. Soda straws plug up far less frequently than bottom drains, and there are several ways to valve the slop discharge. Once the air is in the receiver you pretty much loose ability to remove any water vapor leaving the receiver by condensation, because the receiver will generally be at room temperature, as will the air inside it. If you're operating a soda straw removal system your water level in the receiver will be pretty low, but if you want to remove more it can be done still at a low cost. Yes, there is a use for copper and PVC in compressed air systems, and that use is removing water from the air stream. 20 feet of copper inside of 20 feet of PVC acting as a water jacket will cool the air from room temperature to around 50°, and the water flow required is very minimal.The best part, in Summer yo can flow the discharge water to your shop roof where it becomes a refrigerant cooling the roof by evaporating off, and cools the shop. If you don't have water available you can always go to a Jonsiematic air polisher, a revised version of the underground drips used to accumulate condensate from Natural Gas Pipe systems.
http://z6.invisionfree.com/ToolBoxTalk/index.php?showtopic=1576 There is more that can be done, but this is already long, and my companion Art Ritus says this should occupy Tony and others a while.
I'm thinking I'll have one Franzinator at the compressor and maybe a second and or a polisher at the plasma table or other Moisture sensitive areas.